


Make it Gold

by littlepip



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, One Shot Collection, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2018-05-31 00:25:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6448054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlepip/pseuds/littlepip
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of my one-shots and prompts from Tumblr, in which Beca and Chloe are adorable idiots in love. (Even if sometimes they haven't realised that yet...)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A year of Beca and Chloe kisses

“Becs!!” Chloe ambushes her dramatically from behind, latching herself onto Beca’s back and wrapping her arms around her chest tightly. 

It accidentally jolts Beca forward with the force of it, slopping a little of Beca’s beer onto the ground. But she just grins drunkenly in response, turning her head over her shoulder to look at Chloe, and lifting one arm up to grasp onto her wrist.

“Hey Chlo.” And then Beca leans a little further in to plant a wet kiss to Chloe’s cheek, which quickly turns into a smile, still pressed against Chloe’s face, before Beca pulls back and begins to laugh loudly.

“You’re drunk!” Chloe shouts unnecessarily loud, because it always makes her heart thump harder when Beca Mitchell is affectionate with her and her alone.

“So are you!” It’s true. And so Chloe pushes a kiss of her own to Beca’s cheek, lets it linger far longer than she ever would dare when sober, and Beca just keeps laughing and laughing.

 

* * *

 

“Here you go, Chlo. This should help you sleep.” Chloe doesn’t respond straight away, temporarily caught up in a hacking coughing fit. When she opens her eyes again, Beca’s crouched by the bed, forehead furrowed in worry, a mug of steaming tea held in her hands.

“Thanks,” Chloe croaks, before groaning, embarrassed at the sound of her own sickly voice, taking the warm mug from Beca with a grateful smile.

“Can I get you anything else?”

“A new immune system? A miracle cure? Puppies?”

“Hmm, well I’ll see what I can do.” Beca smiles at Chloe softly, before leaning in from her crouch position to kiss Chloe’s clammy, unwashed forehead gently. “Feel better soon.”

 

* * *

 

“OMG, Beca, _look_ at you!” Chloe can’t help but squeal at the sight she’s been presented with.

“Don’t you dare say anything Chloe Beale, this is the worst. The worst fucking thing that’s ever happened to me, and if you actually make me go out on stage in front of people wearing this, I swear to God-”

“Oh shush you, don’t be such a drama llama.”

“I am not a _drama llama_ , Chlo, this is serious.”

“It’s not serious at all. You’re wearing a costume for a performance at a comedy show. We’re singing acapella Flight of the Concords and Bo Burnham songs. It’s literally the opposite of serious.” Chloe approaches Beca from behind, so that she can catch her eyes in the mirror. “And you look adorable.” Chloe grins so wide she almost gets Beca to join in- she can see the corners of her lips twitching, but it descends into noises of protest almost immediately when Chloe turns her head to pepper a series of quick kisses all over Beca’s face.

“So.”

“Goddamn.”

“Cute.”

Beca squirms away, wiping her cheek dramatically. “I am _not_ cute.”

“That,” Chloe says, pressing finger to Beca’s chest, “is not for you to decide my dear.”

 

* * *

 

Chloe looks up from her work to find Beca staring at her in that indescribable way she seems to be doing a lot lately. It inexplicably makes Chloe’s stomach flop when she sees it- every time that she catches Beca’s eye with a small smile and Beca quickly looks away.

But this time Beca doesn’t look away, and it makes Chloe swallow heavily.

“What?” Chloe asks, but Beca just shakes her head gently. “Why do you keep looking at me like that?”

The minute the question’s out of her mouth, her heart starts pounding, and she has no idea whether she actually wants Beca to answer or not. There’s a long pause where Beca keeps staring, and Chloe can’t look away, caught in the look they’re sharing, heart rate soaring.

“Because I think that I want to kiss you,” Beca says eventually.

“You…What?”

“Don’t make me repeat it, please.” Beca finally breaks the stare to look up at the ceiling, chewing on her thumbnail before looking back anxiously.

Chloe’s mouth falls open, and she gapes at Beca for a moment, watching as Beca’s expression morphs from embarrassment to fear to something verging on disappointment, and it’s that which makes Chloe get her brain in gear. She forces some words out of her mouth.

“Maybe you should then.”

“Really?” Beca’s eyes snap back to Chloe’s, and this time _her_ mouth falls open.

“Yeah.” It’s not much more than a whisper, but then Beca’s moving closer, and Chloe’s heart is thump thump thumping in her chest, loud in her ears, and Beca’s hands are on her face, holding it ever so gently, and Chloe’s so close she can see the tiny, almost invisible freckles across Beca’s nose. Then they’re holding there, holding and waiting, and the pause is just too much, and Chloe thinks she might pass out from the anticipation, from the way her heart is thudding so quickly. So Chloe leans in, presses her lips to Beca’s and they’re  _kissing_.

 

* * *

 

It’s the early afternoon but they’re still in bed, and the light filtering through the still drawn curtains is soft and comforting, glowing pinkish.

Chloe’s in the process of covering Beca’s naked body with reverent kisses, moving upwards from her ankle, looping around her kneecap, and earning a squeal and a kick of the leg when she kisses the sensitive and tickly patch in the bend of her knee. She kisses up the smooth skin of Beca’s thigh, into the groove of her hip, and over the flat plane of her stomach, taking time to kiss each of the freckles that mark the pale skin there.

It’s totally quiet in the house and on the street outside, so all she can hear is the calm of Beca’s breathing, the way certain kisses earn sharper intakes of breath than others, the rustle of the sheets when Beca squirms.

“Tell me again.” Chloe says quietly when she’s kissed all the way up Beca’s neck so that they’re face to face again.

“Tell you what?” Beca smirks and Chloe can’t help capturing her lips in a quick kiss before responding.

“Don’t be obnoxious, you know.” She smiles against Beca’s lips, and Beca leans up to put her mouth close to Chloe’s ear. Her heart’s pounding already with the anticipation of it, her stomach flittering with butterflies, and she can feel Beca’s warm breath against the side of her face as she opens her mouth to whisper.

“I want mac & cheese for dinner.”

Chloe immediately rolls off Beca, trying not to laugh. “ _Why_ are you like this?” She groans, grinning at Beca, now rolled over so her body’s pressed over Chloe’s, their faces close again.

“And I guess I kind of love you, or whatever,” Beca concedes with a smile.

“That’s better.”

 

 

 


	2. The one with sad kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Prompt thought ... Beca and Chloe keep kissing/hooking up even though they know they should stop ... Like Beca knocks on Chloe's door at 3 am, or Chloe sends her texts that she misses her lips and shit. I want pain. (I'm fine)"

******  
**“Beca, it’s okay.” Chloe reaches an arm across the small gap between them on the porch, wraps her warm fingers around Beca’s bare forearm. Across the other side of the lake, Beca can see a bonfire that’s reflecting in the water. A strange patch of orangey red that ripples and spirals. She thinks if the music were quieter here, at this party, she’d probably be able to hear whatever they were listening to over there too. **  
**

“You guys just broke up, you’re allowed to be sad. You don’t have to feel self-conscious around me remember?” Beca takes a deep drink of the bottle of wine she’s got propped next to her, the most efficient way she could find in the kitchen to sort out her soberness. Then Beca makes her first mistake by turning to look at Chloe. In the half-light on the porch, just whatever’s filtering through the closed curtains of their living room, her face is a blank space. Open and waiting for Beca’s response.

It’s just so earnest and caring and beautiful and Beca feels her heart crack open at the sight of it, and that needs to stop. Needs to go away.

Because Chloe is her best friend. The first best friend she has ever had. The only person she’s ever truly believed when they say “you don’t have to feel self-conscious around me.” The only person she wants to see every day, without fail. The person who can make her laugh no matter how deep a funk she’s in.

The person she’s in love with, but no. _No_. That needs to stop, that needs to stop because nothing ( _nothing, nothing at all_ ) is worth risking this friendship. This most precious of things she has with Chloe.

If only she could just work out how to forget about how in love she is with her.

If only.

Instead she leans forward, until she can feel Chloe’s breath on her face, and kisses her.

It can’t ever happen again, she thinks. “That can’t ever happen again,” she says to Chloe, and Chloe nods slowly, lips pursed, watching the smoke rise from the other party’s bonfire.

 

* * *

 

It’s 3am, and she’s not exactly drunk this time, but it’s enough. Just enough to free her, to make her stand outside Chloe’s door, staring at the piece of card cut into a heart that reads “Chloe’s Room!” in Chloe’s neatest, rolling cursive. She’s not even knocked before the door opens, and Chloe’s suddenly standing there, squinting in the harsh light of the hallway, hair mussed and cheeks pink with recent sleep.

“Beca?”

“I just-” She feels her stomach constrict, tears prick at the side of her eyes. “I don’t know what to do.” She steps into the room, shuts the door behind her. “I can’t stop, I can’t.”

Chloe just tilts her head slightly to one side, swallows heavily like she somehow knows exactly what Beca’s talking about.

“I know I need to stop but I can’t.”

And she looks up at Chloe, knowing her eyes must be shining just as much as Chloe’s seem to be, and she feels an ache the whole way up her throat.

“I don’t know how to make it go away.” Her voice cracks. And then Chloe’s kissing her, and her arms are around Beca’s neck, soft fingers in the baby curls at the back of her neck. It’s a different kind of pain, then. A gleeful, shocking one. It sears through her, and hurts to know that she can’t do this every day (she can’t, she just _can’t_ ) when it feels so, so goddamn perfect.

That time, at least, when she leaves Chloe’s room she lets herself cry. Deep, racking sobs that soak her pillow and make her cheeks hurt.

It becomes a thing, then, somehow. At first just when alcohol’s involved and resolves are weakened. And then it’s whenever they are in one another’s rooms alone. Then it’s sneaked at any chance, desperate and breathless in the kitchen the second Emily steps out the door. Stolen in the darkest corner of every party. Fingers held, vice-like, under the blankets at movie night. For luck before their performances, before their practices, before their classes. For luck for the day before Beca rises from Chloe’s bed to return to her own room to dress.

And every time Beca thinks “It has to stop” and “I don’t know how to make it go away.” And it hurts and hurts and is the most wonderful thing at the same time.

 

* * *

 

 

She stops for two weeks. She thinks it might be the worst two weeks she’s ever spent in her life, and there’s no one even to tell that to, because she wants to ( _needs to_ ) tell Chloe, and that’s the worst bit of all.

She stops looking at Chloe on day two, because the hard expression on her usually so soft and open face makes Beca feel like she’s been kicked in the throat.

She stops eating properly around day six, claiming a stomach bug that happily makes most of the Bellas keep their distance.

She cries in public for the first time on day eleven, but it’s twilight and she’s alone at the bus stop, so nobody sees. It was just something about the atmosphere of it, Beca tells herself. The melancholy quiet of a campus bus stop at dusk, stars just barely peeking through in the sky, Bon Iver playing through headphones. That would make anyone cry.

“I miss you” Chloe’s text reads on day fourteen. It’s the middle of the night, but Beca still has her blinds open, the window thrown wide, and for once she’s not listening to music. Just the buzz and chatter and quiet of a university campus Tuesday night. The text is followed by a series that makes Beca’s chest hurt, a burning pain like she can’t breathe.

 

“I miss everything about you, Beca.”

“Even the things we never talk about. I miss that most of all.”

“Your lips.”

“And the feel of your hands on my skin.”

“It feels right, Beca.”

“You feel that too, I know you do.”

“You know why it feels right Beca?”

“?”

“Because it is.”

“And I think we should let it be right. You know?”

“I know you’re scared about it hurting us.”

“But Beca, not being with you the way we are MEANT to be hurts the most.”

“And I’m fed up of crying over you and then kissing you and then crying again.”

“There doesn’t need to be crying.”

“Because this is the happiest thing I’ve ever had, or at least it could be.”

“I’m in my room, Becs.”

“And I’m waiting for you, ok? And you don’t need to be scared. I’m here and waiting and it’s going to be okay.”

“You can trust me, remember?”

 

Beca’s got tears streaming down her cheeks, but she doesn’t even wipe them away as she rises from her desk chair. Okay. Okay. Maybe, maybe it really is going to be okay? She makes her way down the stairs, and Chloe’s door is already ajar.

Is it really going to be okay?

?

She sees Chloe sitting on her bed, illuminated only by the light of her phone.

_It’s going to be okay._


	3. The "we met on facebook" AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PROMPT- "Eeep! So I have this au idea. Beca and Chloe have never met. Aubrey and Jesse start dating (after a Jeca breakup) and Chloe starts seeing Beca's mixes on Jesse's facebook. Beca has no chill and Chloe is... well... Chloe..." 

****

**Jesse Swanson added you as a friend**  
  
**Chloe → Jesse  
** Thanks for adding me!! It was SO nice to meet you today. Consider this the best friend talk though, cos if you hurt Bree I’ll break your thumbs :D xxxxxxxxxx  
  


 

* * *

  
  
**Aubrey Posen is in a relationship with Jesse Swanson**

**Lila Samuel-** Awwww yay happy for you Aubrey :)  
**Levi Coleman-** WHATUP. She’s hot. Nice one.  
**Beca Mitchell-** Ew.  
**Joe Leverson-** Congrats, buddy.   
**Ellie Swanson-** Aw, cute baby bro. And call me back, idiot.  
**Stacie Conrad-** Hot  
**Chloe Beale-** FINALLY fb official, it only took you a million years guys   
**Chloe Beale-** But congrats!!!!!!  
**Chloe Beale-** Squeal :D !!!!  
**Aubrey Posen-** Thanks, Chlo and I love you but why are you acting like this is new news to you?  
**Chloe Beale-** JUST TOO EXCITED. Can’t a girl just love love??  <3 <3 :) :) :)

 

* * *

 

**That crazy chick @Beca Mitchell is at it again. This is a TUNE Becs :)  
** **Chloe Beale-** UM. WHAT is this. How. Who. Tell me more.   
**Jesse Swanson-** My buddy Beca! She mixes/produces music! She’s a helluva car singer too ;)

* * *

 

**Best yet @Beca Mitchell? Definitely dancing like an idiot to this one in my kitchen right now.  
** Beca Mitchell- You dance like an idiot to everything. I’m not sure that’s a compliment.  
**Jesse Swanson-** I LOVE YOU BECA. Is that a compliment?  
**Beca Mitchell-** Definitely not  
**Chloe Beale-** this is SO GOOD. I’m DYING.

* * *

 

**YAS, QUEEN @Beca Mitchell  
** Beca Mitchell- That’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever said.  
**Charlie Levi-** Nice tune  
**Chloe Beale-** I’m having a HeaRT AttACK OMG This gives me feelings

* * *

**Chloe → Beca  
** Hey. So you don’t know me, but I’m friends with Jesse. Well, his girlfriend Aubrey is my best friend, and I’ve been seeing him post your music on fb and ohemgee, Beca I am OBSESSED. Do you have more? Cos I went on your youtube and there’s only like 4 things there?? Is there more somewhere else? ? This is kiLLinG me xxxxxx

**Beca → Chloe  
** Hi? So you’re the crazy one that’s been commenting on the posts Jesse tags me in, huh. Here, I put some in this dropbox for you. Password’s boobman (don’t ask. I didn’t set it up. Honestly I’m embarrassed that you even know that so please just make your computer remember it then never type it again and forget I ever said any of this)  
Beca out

I mean, just pretend I just typed my name there and nothing else  
or even not my name, because you obviously already know it

I’m going to stop now  
  
**Chloe → Beca  
** OMG! Beca!! You are the GREATEST. I don’t know you but I love you. Putting them on my ipod as we speak. THANK YOUUUUU!!!! 

So how do you know Jesse anyway? Did you go to school together?

chloe out ;)

**Beca → Chloe  
** I’m honestly a little freaked out about how much you like my music. Did I just gain my first random fan? Are you a groupie now? Should I be worried??  
Oh and I know Jesse because we used to date before we realised what a terrible idea that was  
  
**Chloe → Beca  
** Oh you should DEFINITELY be worried. And I am definitely a groupie ;) ;)

Why was it a terrible idea? Is this something I should know about? Cos if Jesse hurts my best friend Aubrey I will not hesitate to stab him with a fork in a place

**Beca → Chloe  
** …okay. You’re very strange Chloe Beale, Aubrey Posen’s best friend.  
It was a bad idea because it turns out I’m like totally gay and Jesse, as unlikely as I know it seems, actually has a penis

**Chloe → Beca  
** I’ll put my fork away then ;) ;)

I’m trying to decide if Tailspin or Random Acts is my fave track of urs. I like the mixes too, but your original stuff… <3 <3

Okay. It actually might be Outlines.

It’s definitely Outlines.

**Beca → Chloe  
** Wow you actually really like my music huh? That is… really cool. And kinda surreal. Why is Outlines your favorite?

**Chloe → Beca  
** I think it feels like the most honest track of the ones you sent me. Like maybe you just DID that one without overthinking anything? It just happened? And it’s beautiful because you can feel and hear that spontaneity. Not that any of the others feel like they are lacking, but there’s just a touch of extra magic, you know? And that moment with the guitar loop at 2:33 makes my insides feel like they’re tingling.

**Beca → Chloe  
** Dude. I wasn’t expecting such a serious answer, and that is…weirdly accurate actually.  
It’s my favorite too, btw

**Chloe → Beca  
** I have good taste ;)

**Beca → Chloe  
** I guess you do

I put three new tracks in the dropbox today, groupie

**Chloe → Beca  
** OMG I was having the WORST day and this was the nicest surprise. Thank you Beca!!!!

These both feel really Outlines-y :)

**Beca → Chloe  
** In a good way?  
  
**Chloe → Beca  
** In a very good way. You can tell you’ve not been overthinking things 

**  
**Beca → Chloe  
Cool. I was trying not to

:)

**  
**Chloe Beale and Beca Mitchell are now friends  
Jesse Swanson- You are? This is weird. Hello two sides of my world colliding.  
**Chloe Beale-** :) :) :)

 

**Beca Mitchell invited you to an event LIVE MUSIC NIGHT AT MIRA LOUNGE FT. ARCOLA and guests**

**Beca → Chloe  
** I’m the “and guests” btw  
If you saw the event thingy  
I thought you might want to come, as my 1 and only groupie or whatever  
But no worries if you don’t want to 

**Chloe → Beca  
** OMG

I’m in :)

**Chloe → Beca  
** It was really really REALLY nice to meet you :) :) :)

**Beca → Chloe  
** Yeah. Same.

But less miserable sounding than that message came out  
Well, not miserable at all  
The opposite of in fact

I’m going to stop talking now

**Chloe → Beca  
** Maybe we can sing together again some time?

**Beca → Chloe  
** Yeah. I mean, I don’t even know you persuaded me to do that. But that would be nice.

Really nice, I mean

**Chloe → Beca  
** :) :) :)

**Beca → Chloe  
** I added another song to the dropbox for you

**Chloe → Beca  
** AHHH BUTTS. I’m at work!! Well I can’t wait to listen to it later Becs <3

omg

I didn’t realise when you said for me you actually meant FOR ME

…….

This is the nicest thing anyone has ever given me

And it is DEFINITELY my new favourite

And I just remembered that I have your phone number so I’m going to call you now you have about twenty seconds to prepare yourself for me on your phone asking you on a date, ok?

ready?

:)

**Beca → Chloe  
** You’re a dork

but :)  
  


* * *

 

**Chloe Beale is in a relationship with Beca Mitchell**

**Aubrey Posen-** WHAT!  
**Jesse Swanson-** YOU GUYSSSSSSS!!

 


	4. Beca plays piano

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Don’t imagine the Bellas coming home from a party late at night to find Beca teaching Chloe how to play the piano while quietly humming along to the songs she was playing" -Mitchellandbeale

Chloe _knew_ Beca could play the piano. She’d seen her eye the slightly clunky old upright in the little study of the Bella house with wistful eyes one too many times; Noticed the way Beca would always open the lid and run her hands over the keys of the grand when the pair of them were waiting for the other Bellas to arrive at practice. How at home she looked perched on the stool. The amount of scruffy sheet music she owned, shoved to one side on her bookshelf amongst old notepads, and bookmarked under a nondescript folder called “stuff” on her laptop. **  
**

Yes, Chloe was one hundred percent sure Beca knew how to play the piano.

“I’m weird about things like this,” Beca says with a sheepish look and a furrowed brow when Chloe finally brings it up one evening in Beca’s sophomore year. Chloe’s laid across the sofa in the small, mostly forgotten about back room, revision for her 20th Century literature exam spread out over the coffee table. Beca’s sat at the dusty piano, swinging her legs, having joined Chloe in the room on the premise of finishing her music theory essay, due tomorrow, but her folder of notes remains unopened on the floor.

“It’s only me, Becs.” Chloe chews on the end of her pen, tries to look nonchalant when Beca swivels the top part of her body around on the stool to look at Chloe, biting her lip. “There’s not even anyone else home.”

“Don’t…don’t judge okay? I’m probably really rusty.”

Chloe shakes her head vehemently, “No, I would never,” and Beca rewards her with a small, trusting smile before twisting back around and laying her hands cautiously over the keys. Chloe doesn’t know how to play piano, but she can tell from Beca’s posture and positioning that she’s going to be good at it. She looks at home there, more relaxed suddenly, as though she’s about to enter a different world for a little bit.

And sure, Chloe doesn’t know all that much about what it should sound like, but after a stilted, ever so slightly tentative start, she doesn’t sound rusty at all. She’s playing something Chloe doesn’t recognise, but it’s sweet and beautiful, more romantic in tone than Chloe would imagine Beca’s piano tune tastes to lie, had she been forced to make a guess. It makes Chloe’s stomach swoop with excitement, with that thrill of witnessing music in its purest, most honest form, coming out of her best friend’s fingers like magic, enveloping the whole room in a wonderful haze that makes Chloe’s finger tingle. This, yes, this is why she loves music. And Beca as usual, _of course_ , is really good at making it sound extra special.

After a few minutes, the tune merges with barely a pause into something quicker, more upbeat, and Beca’s hands become more confident, jumping around on the left hand side, up and down along the keyboard, a bouncy rhythm that Chloe enjoys, smiling softly, enraptured by the impromptu performance.

When that piece merges into another as well, this time something Chloe recognises though she can’t say from where, Chloe can tell Beca’s not going to stop any time soon. That she’s in some kind of zone, and Chloe for sure is not going to be the one to wake her from it. So she settles back into the sofa again, from where she’d been leaning forward, excitedly listening, and picks back up where she’d left off on her notes.

She’s incredibly productive for the next twenty minutes or so, whilst Beca hops from song to song with barely a pause, and Chloe soaks it all in happily. Then Beca stops for ever so slightly longer, and it takes Chloe’s attention away from her notes for a moment, looking up at Beca’s slightly hunched back. When she starts up again, Chloe recognises the song she’s playing in an instant. It’s _Hold Back the River_ , the tune she’s had stuck in her head for weeks, to the extent that all the Bellas are fed up of hearing Chloe shout-sing the bridge every time she’s in the shower, because then they find themselves humming it too and the cycle becomes never ending. Evidently it’s had a similar effect on Beca.

The song sounds beautiful on piano, way more than Chloe could have imagined, and Beca doesn’t hit a wrong note, even though Chloe’s sure she can’t have ever played it before. It makes Chloe jump up from her spot on the sofa, moving instead to stand by Beca, and though she glances up briefly when she catches sight of Chloe in the corner of her eye, it doesn’t break her flow. Chloe watches her hands move up and down with the fast paced chorus, fingers with chipped black nail polish moving over the keys so assuredly and Chloe feels a shiver up her spine.

When the song’s over, the last note still reverberating around the walls, Beca leans back with a grin, catching Chloe’s eye easily. She looks relaxed and buzzing with excitement, in the same way that Chloe imagines she probably does a little bit right now too. “I’ve been waiting to play that for ages.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Beca shrugs but it doesn’t seem to diminish her excitement. “This is not new news.”

Chloe puts an arm around Beca’s shoulder, squeezing her into her side, and bends down to press an overly firm kiss to the wonky parting on the top of Beca’s head. When she leans back she can see the soft flush developing on Beca’s cheeks, and it makes her grin again.

“Teach me something?” Beca looks up at her curiously for a moment, then budges along the stool, making a horrible noise when it scrapes along the floor as she moves it slightly outwards so Chloe can slip on.

They’re sitting extra close, because the stool’s only made for one, but if Beca doesn’t want to get up, Chloe’s sure as hell not going to make her. You take what you can get when it comes to proximity with Beca Mitchell, Chloe knows this from plentiful experience.

“There’s a system to it, okay?” Chloe nods, hands laying softly on the keys, not in any particular position. “You use certain fingers for each key, like, so you don’t lose track of your hands. Well, it’s more complicated than that, but, uh, that’s all you need to know for now. So, here-” Beca lifts up Chloe’s right hand. “Put this finger here, and then the rest along the white keys after that, yeah?”  
  


* * *

  
It’s dark and late when the other Bellas return home, wobbling and giggling and whispering not at all quietly at each other as they tumble through the door in one big knot of humans. They’re confused for a minute as to why it’s so quiet and all the lights are off. Usually even at this hour they’d find Chloe draped across a sofa, up on a barstool or even, weirdly often, lying on the floor, Beca somewhere not far behind and always, _always_ there would be music playing.

“CAPS!” Amy caws, throwing her head back dramatically, but there’s no response.

Then their musing and giggling about the location of the two in residence Bellas is interrupted by an unusual sound. The sound of someone playing a version of the start of _I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You_ on the piano, slowly and only ever so slightly jumpy.

“Who’s playing that?” Stacie wonders aloud as all eight girls jostle around in the hallway, removing shoes and dumping bags, dancing around each other in the small space, leaning on each other to undo heel buckles, and grasping the backs of dresses to stay balanced.

“Must be Becs or Chloe.”

“I didn’t know either of them could play? OH em _gee_. I could get them to work on songs with me!”

“ _We_ can play piano,” Jessica and Ashley say, together.

“We play _that_ piano?” Jessica adds, as confused as always.

“Em, I hate to break it to you, but whoever’s playing that, ain’t much good.” Cynthia Rose adds, her voice rising in pitch drunkenly with her words, and as though she hadn’t heard the other two at all.

“Mmhmm.” Stacie nods sagely, still in her monstrous heels and now towering over everyone else even more than usual.

“Sounds a bit…plonky.” Amy adds, starting a ripple of giggles that rapidly falls into full blown laughter.

Without discussing it the girls move in a pack towards the study door, as is their usual, often slightly intimidating style, with Stacie and Amy leading the pack into mischief once again. The music’s stopped by the time Stacie’s close enough to the door to press her ear to it, and there’s soft chatter instead, before it starts up again, this time a little less tentative.

“Budge up, I can’t hear.”

“Ow, elbow in boob, _elbow in boob_.”

“What’s _happening_?”

“Shhhhh!”

They all, somehow, manage to stay quiet enough to hear together. Frankly it’s a miracle that they’re even still playing at all given the not particularly subtle racket the Bellas are making, but the tune gets played a few times over whilst they listen, and Stacie, ear still pressed to the door can make out Beca humming and then singing along enthusiastically in between instruction and gentle encouragement.

“Beca’s teaching Chloe how to play.” She hisses back to the gathered group, grinning. “It’s cute as fuck.” They’re all taking up far less room than they really ought to be, because of their proximity and determination to be as annoying as possible to their captains.

“That’s so adorable!” Emily squeals.

“Beca can play piano? She’s always got another trick up her sleeve that one,” Amy adds, stroking her chin. “Very suspicious.”

“Piano wire is my weapon of choice.”

As Stacie turns around to look worriedly at Lily, the door she’s now leaning on flings open, and Stacie nearly falls right on top of Beca, screeching.

“Can I help you?” She’s got one eyebrow raised, an amused expression playing across her face.

“Definitely not. It’s a complete coincidence that we are all standing here right now.” Amy’s scrambling around, trying to push her way through the wall of Bellas to escape, and Beca sighs before laughing.

“Well, get your ridiculous asses in here, Chloe’s ready for her first concert. Right Chlo?” Beca smiles proudly over at Chloe, who’s twisted on the stool to look at the rag tag group now mushed into the doorway.

“Yep.” She beams and nods.

“Ladies and…well, ladies. My protégé.” Beca says with an excited flourish that’s quite unlike her, and she steps up to Chloe briefly, hand tentatively resting over one shoulder as she whispers something into her ear, making Chloe giggle. Then she leans down, kisses Chloe on the head, earning them a selection of cat calls and squeals from the Bellas now assembled across the sofa, on laps and draped on the floor.

Beca’s flushed but grinning wide when she takes her place on the arm of the sofa.

“Take it away, Chlo.”

 


	5. The "kiss marry kill" proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'I want a bechloe au where Beca is going to propose to Chloe in a game of “ Kiss, Marry Or Kill ” and all the Bellas are in on it and one night their all playing and Stacie goes “ So Beca, kiss, marry or kill with Chloe, Flo and Amy ” and Beca says “ Well.. Sorry Flo, I’d have to kill you, Amy pucker up.. And I guess I’d marry Beale. ” and Chloe is all like “ Aw babe ” then she turns to Chloe and just pulls out a ring and goes  
> “No seriously Chlo, I’d marry you.”' - 22-bechloe-street

The Bella reunion was exactly as chaotically wonderful as Beca had thought it would be. 

She was glad she’d only told Stacie about her plans, because the other girls were bouncing off the walls already, high on sugar and the boundless excitement of friends not seen for too long- they didn’t need news like this any earlier than necessary, or they’d probably spontaneously combust. Beca’s pretty sure Emily’s about to anyway, judging from the way her giggles haven’t really stopped in hours, hands flailing around wildly. Chloe’s joining in, always easily sucked into other people’s enthusiasm, and Beca basks in the glow of seeing all her favourite people together and so happy again, in the way it makes Chloe’s eyes light up.

Yes, this is _exactly_ the right place to do this.

Beca herself is trying to remain convincingly calm, which somehow is easier than she’d thought it would be. Because every time she thought about doing the _thing_ , it reminded her of what the _thing_ meant. Spending her life with Chloe. Marrying her. That bit, that wonderful bit was the calming force that was getting her through this evening with barely a jittery leg.  
  


* * *

  
She leant into Chloe as they sat next to each other on the sofa, pressing a brief kiss to the side of her hair, because she could and she wanted to, and the smile it made Chloe give her was what she lived for, these days. They’d just finished a riotous game of Cards Against Humanity, won convincingly by Fat Amy, who was now basking in her glory by laying on the floor and wriggling strangely, before being piled on by Flo, Jessica and Ashley so that her cries of “BOW to your victor!” eventually merged into “Surrender! Surrender! I’m too young to die! There are people that rely on me as their main source of entertainment in Tasmania!”

Beca looks over at Stacie, just returning to the room with a tray of drinks and snacks, thus immediately gaining everyone’s rapt attention. She nods quickly at her, the official signal, and it makes her stomach suddenly feel like it was about to flop out of her mouth.

“New game guys,” Stacie says over the hubbub, and Chloe presses herself more comfily into Beca’s side, grasping at one of her hands, and Beca’s stomach returns to its rightful place.

“-girl, are you serious? Is this middle school?” Cynthia Rose is saying when Beca returns her attention to the conversation. “Can’t we have a good ol’ ‘fuck’ in there?”

“Later. Let’s start slow shall we, Kiss’ll be fine. Emily.” Stacie turns dramatically in her seat, attention fully on the giggliest Bella.

“Kiss, Marry, Kill. Hot Ryans- Reynolds, Gosling, Meg.”

“Meg?”

“Meg Ryan. Obviously.”

“Oh boy, why am I starting?” Emily looks startled for a second, before suddenly concentrating deeply on the question. “You know I’m not good at decisions, I don’t want to kill any of them, but I suppose I could maybe kill…Oh no, God, they are all such _babies_ and I mean, I think they’d probably all be able to overpower me if I tried to kill them, you know-”

“Answer the question, Legs.”

“Kiss Reynolds, marry Gosling, Kill Meg,” Emily says in a rush of words, without a breath.

“Disappointingly hetero,” Stacie offers. “But fair choices. I’m sure it’ll get gayer.” She smirks at Beca and Chloe for a moment, and Beca can’t help but return it as Stacie moves on to Jessica, then Ashley, and Beca’s suddenly not sure if she’s glad or annoyed she’s so far around the circle, because lord the anticipation is possibly going to give her an aneurism. She concentrates on her breathing for a few minutes, barely even registering it’s got around to her until Stacie suddenly says “BECA!” very loudly.

“At your service.” She swallows heavily. Shit shit shit shit.

“How about a Bella themed one?” Stacie says, winking at Beca in possibly the least subtle way she could. “Kiss, marry, kill. Amy, Flo and…” She feigns looking around the room, as though choosing the final Bella with care. “Chloe.”

Shit shit shit shit. She can see Stacie out of the corner of her eye, grinning madly already, and God her heart is thumping worryingly fast. Chloe twists slightly out of Beca’s arms to face her, a cheeky smile on her face.

“You best choose wisely Becs, remember who you’re going home with.”

“Oh she remembers, girl,” Cynthia Rose offers helpfully. “Won’t let us forget it.”

“Let her do the damn question,” Beca’s very grateful for Stacie’s interruption, because she might just keel right on over if this doesn’t happen soon.

“Well.. Sorry Flo, I’d have to kill you,” Beca says with an apologetic look. “Amy pucker up..” (Amy does so, naturally, looking like she’s about to actually launch herself towards Beca for a kiss until Stacie holds a firm hand out in front of her. Beca takes a deep breath before she opens her mouth again. “And I guess I’d marry Beale.”

“Aw, Babe.” Chloe’s grin is wide and warm, and it floods Beca with calm again, as she disentangles her clammy hand from Chloe’s to slip awkwardly onto the floor, taking a second to arrange herself onto one knee before looking up to see Chloe’s jaw fall open.

“No seriously Chlo, _I’d marry you._ ” Beca has just enough sense of the room around her to hear the gasps and squeals of the other Bellas, but her attention’s focussed on the now shining eyes of the beautiful woman in front of her, evidently well and truly surprised, mouth still hanging open, bright eyes wide.

“Beca, what?” She says, breathlessly.

“Chloe. I…I mean it. I want to marry you, um, I guess it’d be pretty great if you maybe wanted to marry me too? Cos I kinda want to spend the rest of my life with you-” She loses her flow briefly as she watches a tear fall down Chloe’s cheek, reaching up to swipe it away with her thumb. “And, uh, I though maybe you’d, you know, like that too?”

“Yeah,” Chloe says, so quiet it’s almost a whisper, head nodding frantically, and Beca grins up at her, cheeks already aching as she reaches into her back pocket to pull out the ring she’d been harbouring for nearly six weeks now, and holding it out to Chloe, whose face, somehow, looks even more shocked upon being presented with a genuine engagement ring.

“Chloe,” Beca swallows again, her eyes suddenly feeling dangerously prickly. “Will you marry me?”

Chloe laughs, loud and strong, and tearfully joyous. “Yes. Of course. Oh my God Beca.” And suddenly Beca’s on her back on the floor, because Chloe’s flung herself at her, and is now laying on top of her kissing her deeply, whilst the Bellas all around them whoop and cheer. Beca just about takes in Stacie wiping a tear surreptitiously from the corner of her eye as Chloe seems to register where they are, and slides off of Beca, pulling her up so that they’re both sat next to each other on the floor. For a moment they just stare, grinning madly at one another, and Beca doesn’t really want the moment to end.

She wordlessly holds the ring out to Chloe again, eyebrow cocked questioningly.

“Well, you’ve got to put it on, Becs.” Chloe’s grin is threatening to break her face, her cheeks wet, hair mussed, and Beca thinks she’s never looked more perfect. She’s pleased to see her hands are not too shaky as she reaches for Chloe’s left hand to slot the ring onto her finger smoothly.

Then they’re kissing again, before laughing against one another’s mouths as the room is filled with the most raucous laughter and squeals Beca’s ever heard come from her best friends. It doesn’t take long for the kiss to turn into a full make out, and this for sure is the most PDA she’s ever done in front of _anyone_ , but right now she couldn’t care less.

She’s just about able to realise when the squeals turn into whistles and then an “oh em aca gee!” as Chloe’s hands slip up the back of Beca’s top, causing them to finally break apart, breathless.

“GET A ROOM!” Amy shouts, before the pair of them are pulled up from the ground into an almost painfully manic group hug.

Chloe doesn’t let go of Beca when the group hug dissipates, as Stacie runs with assistants to find and open her secretly stashed Champagne.

“I can’t believe you planned this,” Chloe says softly into Beca’s hair.

“Me neither.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Yep.”

“I’m going to marry a ridiculous person.”

“Yep.” Beca pulls out of the hug to grin madly at Chloe, who returns it just as enthusiastically, nodding along.

“That’s pretty cool, I guess.”

 


	6. A Beca & Chloe day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PROMPT- "...Unestablished Bechloe in which B's internship was never a secret. B's been having a royally shitty few weeks trying to juggle work and the Bellas and school, so C plans a day trip for just the 2 of them to try and get B to destress. They go to C's "favorite secret spot" and they picnic and relax in isolation and fresh air all day. Reading/writing/sharing music, etc. (fluffy details up to you). Just content sharing space and comfortable silence with one another. Day ends at second base ;) I believe this should provide a sufficient starting point for your mastery at all things fluff and angst! Provided this prompt sparks inspiration, of course… ;* - Kate_Kan on AO3"

Chloe knew something was up the minute Beca came in through the door. Instead of announcing her presence in her now customary (and entertainingly noisy) fashion, Beca simply walked straight into the living area and flopped face first onto the sofa without even taking off her shoes, jacket or rucksack. She laid there without moving, hair pooling near Chloe’s thigh where she was perched with a book at the far end of the seat.

“What’s up buttercup?”

When Beca responded only by pressing her face even further into the sofa, Chloe knew something was really wrong.

“Becs?” She reached down to push a clump of hair out of the way so she could see Beca’s face as she spoke, and was shocked to feel wetness on Beca’s cheek as she brushed the hair away from it. “Beca? Are you crying?”

Beca rolled ever so slightly so she could look up at Chloe with her one uncovered eye. “Um, no but…Can you smuggle me upstairs before anyone else notices?” Beca sniffed, making a valiant attempt to wipe her face with her sleeve, before looking up at Chloe again with pleading, shiny eyes.

So Chloe moved into action immediately, all but dragging Beca up from her prone position and checking doorways like a spy as she hustled Beca up the stairs into the sanctuary of her own single bedroom. She watched from the doorway as Beca immediately shed her jacket and rucksack in a pile on the floor and sat on the bed, wrapping Chloe’s duvet around herself until all that was visible was her face and the little hand grasping into the front of the duvet cocoon to hold it in place.

Chloe closed the door with a click. “What’s up, sad face?” Beca looked at Chloe for a brief moment before biting her lip and looking down instead at the hand fisted into the blankets. “Tell me and I won’t even make a fuss about the fact you’re wearing your shoes in my bed,” Chloe teased gently, smiling encouragingly at Beca when her eyes snapped back to Chloe’s.

Beca peeled back the duvet for a moment to look at her feet. “Sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter.” She shook her head with a small smile at Beca. “You got room for one more in there?”

Beca lifted her right arm out, shuffling over slightly on the bed so that Chloe could curl up next to her, grabbing the other side of the duvet to pull it back over them both as she shuffled into place.

“What’s up Becs?” She said softly, hoping to get an honest answer now in the quiet safety of their blanket cocoon.

“Um, just, you know. Everything.” Beca took a deep, rattling breath before continuing. “I’m failing the Bellas ‘cause I’m so busy, and I’m failing at work because that place is insane and I guess apparently I have, like, no useful skills. And no originality. Which is great news, you know.” Beca’s eyes rolled to the ceiling briefly in an attempt to blink back more tears.

“Beca, what do you mean?”

“I have no ideas. Nothing original. Nothing new. All I can do is ten part acapella arrangements, and there are literally zero people who will pay for that skill.”

“Beca you’re single-handedly responsible for almost all the musical ideas for the Bellas and we’ve won three championships-”

“But that’s just messing with someone else’s good idea, Chlo. I need to be able to do something _new._ ”

“Well, I am sure you’ll be incredible at that too, Becs, you’re like, the greatest-”

“But when, Chlo? There’s the Bellas to think of too, and goddamn schoolwork- and I hate myself that I just said that, by the way.” She lifts her eyes to Chloe’s for a moment, and Chloe chuckles lowly before Beca looks back down at her hands with a sigh. “And I’m so _tired_. My mind can’t even think of what to eat for dinner let alone these inspired musical epiphanies I’m supposed to be having. That are going to, like, define my career. This might be the only chance I have to have a producer there willing to take my music and listen to it and I have literally nothing, Chlo.”

“Well then you need to take a break.” Chloe knew that Beca only really shed tears and openly rambled, even to her, when she was too tired or stressed to put the usual filter on herself.

“Chloe, I just said, I don’t have time-”

“-and you also just said that you don’t even have the energy to think. I can see that you’re exhausted, you need to take a break Bec. In fact, I insist.” She grabbed Beca’s wrist, her voice brightening as she did so. “Right, new game plan for tomorrow. You and me. Day out and picnic. No work, no thinking. Just brain rest and food and good music. No talking about work or school or the Bellas. What do you think?”

Beca sighed and pressed her cheek into Chloe’s shoulder a little. “Well, I guess you are in charge.”

“You said it Missy.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Okay then.”

“Yay! I know the perfect place we can go.”

 

* * *

 

Beca was looking especially Beca-ish when she came down the stairs the next morning, Chloe thought, in her oldest, softest flannel with her hair loose and only semi-brushed. It was nothing special, the shirt, just a scruffy once red, now kind of pink flannel bought in a thrift store in LA the first time Beca had ever been, during the summer between her sophomore and junior years. It was the shirt Beca had lived in, the few months after she’d bought it, holding some kind of special symbolism for LA and the future that Beca didn’t need to tell Chloe about for her to just intrinsically get. Beca had called Chloe from the walk of fame just a couple of hours after she’d landed, but already buzzing and Chloe could still remember now how she grinned at Beca’s hyper joy as she squealed down the phone uncharacteristically that she was “literally standing on Godzilla’s star right now, Chlo.”

The shirt now came out for only the most special of comfortable occasions- usually Sundays, or Bella bonding nights, or the long, hungover mornings their household would sometimes spend in various states of dress, lazy and slow as they bumbled around and drunk bottomless coffee til the early afternoon. It was an honour, Chloe thought, that Beca was wearing it today. (And it meant her plan was working already.)

Chloe reached one finger out, gripping the soft, worn materials between two fingers for a moment before running her hand up it, along Beca’s arm.

“Alright, handsy.”

“I like this shirt.”

Beca simply raised an eyebrow in response. “You can like with your eyes you know.”

“Oh, I’ll do that too.”

Beca sighed, smirking. “I walked right into that.”

“Mhmm,” Chloe agreed with a nod. “You ready?” Beca simply nodded back at her, following Chloe out the door before reaching from behind to grab the keys dangling from Chloe’s hand.

“Can I drive?” Chloe watched Beca’s eyes light up at the idea. “It’s been ages, I love driving this beast.” Beca kicked blindly at the wheel of the Bella’s minibus, the only form of transport available to them, as Chloe dumped her hefty bag of books and blankets through the back door.

“Be my guest.”

Beca immediately cocked a suspicious eyebrow at Chloe. “Don’t you dare, it’s too early for-”

“Be our guest! Be our guest! Put our service to the test!” Chloe trilled happily over Beca, clambering into the passenger side seat as Beca shook her head with a smile.

“Don’t you dare sing the whole song again,” Beca offered over the sound of Chloe’s singing, pulling out of the driveway. Chloe just sung louder, grinning widely at the eye roll she knew Beca would be using at that moment.

“Chlo. Chlo. CHLOE.” Chloe finally stopped singing, tilting her head to look at Beca. “I need you to tell me where I’m going?”

“Oh.”

 

* * *

 

After stopping at a deli, a bakery and then a Sonic on the main strip of stores just off campus, Chloe batting off Beca’s attempts to pay at every turn, they almost immediately turned off and took the winding side road Chloe guided them along, which worked it’s way slowly up and around a hill that got gradually less and less inhabited and more and more wooded.

“Where the hell are we, Chlo?” Beca asked five minutes later, as Chloe told Beca to pull the car up at a spot that seemed no different to any other part of the road.

“You’ll see. I run up here.”

“You run all the way up here? How are we friends?”

Chloe looked at Beca’s incredulous face, and couldn’t help but smile. “We’re not actually far from campus, you just have to take the long way round in a car. It’s quicker when you run.”

“Somehow I find that hard to believe.”

“Come on, lazy bones.” She shoved a bag into Beca’s hand, a rucksack over a shoulder and began clambering over the fence at the side of the road.

“Wow,” Chloe heard Beca say from her position just behind her shoulder as Beca reached the small clearing. She couldn’t help but smile at her declaration. “Why didn’t I already know about this place?”

Chloe waited until Beca caught up, so that they were side by side admiring the view that had somehow appeared through the break in the trees. Below them the university campus, the town of Barden and beyond was spread out, quiet and miniature. In the warm spring air, she could see the light greens of the newly leafed trees, and the sun sparkling brightly off the water of the lake.

Chloe hummed contentedly for a moment. “I found it by accident. I only come up here when I need to be alone for a bit. It’s a good spot to put everything in the world to right, you know?” She tucked her arm into the crook of Beca’s elbow.

“You’ve never bought anyone else up here before?”

“Hmm, no. I always thought it would be a good make-out point, but…I’ve not tested that theory out yet.” Chloe giggled, imagining the flush spreading across Beca’s cheeks so clearly that she doesn’t even bother to turn her head to confirm its existence. “And anyway, I decided I wanted to keep it to myself.”

“And me.”

“You don’t count,” Chloe retorted straight away. She shuffled the rucksack off her shoulders, reaching down to pull out a blanket.

 

* * *

 

“What do you think I should do, Chlo? About my boss at the internship?” Beca said with a frown once the pair of them were sat side by side on the blanket.

“Bec. No work talk today. No serious talk at all, remember.”

“But-”

“Nope.”

“But Chloe, I-”

Chloe reached her hand out, covering Beca’s mouth with it, until she felt Beca’s tongue dip out and lick across it for a second. She held firm, even when she saw the laugher in Beca’s eyes, making her grin herself. “Zip it, Bec. Tomorrow, we’ll talk, okay? Today is for chilling. So hush. And thank you for that.” She giggles as she moves her wet hand away, wiping it on Beca’s jeans.

 

* * *

 

“You’re thinking about music again, aren’t you?”

“No.”

“Yes you are, I can hear your brain whirring.”

“My brain doesn’t whir.”

“It does.”

“Does not.”

“It does, I can hear it, and you have this look on your face, this music look. I know you too well, Beca Mitchell.”

Beca cracked open one eye to look up at Chloe suspiciously from her comfortable position laid across the blanket. “You’re so weird.”

“Thanks, but you still have to stop.”

“I don’t know how, Chlo. I don’t have control over this part of my brain. It just sort of happens.”

Chloe leaned over to extract a book from her rucksack, one she’d packed on purpose, and threw it over to Beca, who ungracefully batted it away instead of even attempting to catch it, squeaking in surprise. “Hmm, no thank you.”

“Why? You read the first few pages every time you come into my room, I know you want to.”

“Maybe.” Beca’s voice was mumbling, sleepy. “But you have to read with your eyes open, and my eyes are closed.”

Chloe reached back over, grabbing the book back and opening it to the first page, which she almost knew off by heart. It was one of her favourites, hence why she kept it on her bedside table at all times. Just in case. “I’ll read it to you, then.”

“Chlo. I’m not five.”

“And?”

“No-one’s read to me since my…well. It’s been…ages,” Beca finished weakly.

Chloe shuffled over so that she was closer to Beca on the blanket- so that they were touching, and she could reach out and stroke Beca’s hair, if she wanted to. She might. It’s best to be prepared. She does so then, quickly, with one hand. That hair on her forehead might have been annoying. “Then someone ought to read to you again.”

“Chlo-”

“Beca we’re relaxing, remember. Just…chill, and let me help.”

She could feel Beca’s eyes on her, contemplative, so she turned her head down to look, to take in Beca’s wide eyes, her prone position spread out across the blanket as if she truly was at home there. The way her fingers, that had been tapping out beats and rhythms along with the music in her head, had stilled. The sight made a flush of happiness roll through Chloe, and she turned back to the book and took a deep breath before she started to read. “ _All this happened, more or less. The_ -”

 

* * *

 

“One more page?” Beca shifts quickly to make eye contact with Chloe, squinting against the sun.

Chloe huffs a laugh. “Sure, later. I gotta eat and drink, Bec.”

And so they passed several more hours in a haze of mild spring weather, flopped on the blankets. They didn’t speak much- they didn’t need to- and made their rambling way slowly through the book and their collection of snacks, splitting a cream eclair, dipping chips into hummus, trying combinations of what Beca insisted were ‘jellybean cocktails’, one of Beca’s favourite Spotify playlists a running constant in the background.

 

* * *

 

“ _-and I have studied reports on one hundred more. Only on Earth is there any talk of free will.’_ ”  
Chloe wrapped up another chapter, sat up with Beca laid next to her so that Beca’s head was twisted to rest lightly against Chloe’s thigh.

“I like this book.”

“I can tell.” Beca opened her eyes to smile softly up at Chloe, and Chloe soaked in its warmth with a shiver down the back of her spine before Beca heaved herself upwards with a groan, rubbing at the back of her neck.

“You laid funny for too long.”

“Your fault. You’re too comfy.” Beca said, still stretching sleepily, and Chloe watched the little patch of skin that appeared under the hem of her shirt, concentrating on not touching it.

“Let me give you a backrub.”

“Yeah, no, that’s okay Chlo.”

“Come on. It’ll help you relax. I’ve been told I have magic fingers you know.” Chloe shuffled into place behind Beca before she could move further away, bracketing her legs either side of Beca’s hips, secretly thrilled when Beca didn’t move or protest further.

“Wow okay, TMI Chlo.” Chloe reached up to push Beca’s hair gently over one shoulder, before placing her hands on Beca’s shoulders firmly.

“Hush, that’s not what I meant,” she added with a smile.

“I’m relieved.”

“Doesn’t mean it’s not true, but- not what I meant.”

“Chlo! Ew. Stop. Stop touching me,” Beca squirmed.

Chloe giggled brightly, continuing to move her fingers firmly over the muscles of Beca’s back, feeling how they relaxed under her touch, how they were warm and alive and soft with the fabric of the shirt. “Beca. Just think about it.” She leaned forward, close to Beca’s ear, to make her point more concretely. “Basically every hand you’ve ever touched has touched at least one penis. Among other things.”

“Gross.” Beca tried to jerk her body away from Chloe’s, but Chloe had tight hold on it and really Beca hadn’t tried very hard. “Can we have this conversation some other time, you know, when you’re not touching me? Or never?”

Chloe shook with laughter. “You’re so easy to tease Beca.”

“Hmph. Thank you.”

But Chloe could tell she was smiling, because when she moved her hands from Beca’s shoulders to her face, ready to manipulate it forcibly into something resembling a smile, it was already there, wide and silly. So she pinched at her cheeks instead, laughing along as Beca’s protests turned into wriggling squawks. What she didn’t do, however, was make to move any way out of Chloe’s grasp. So Chloe gradually calmed her movements, resuming the comforting pressure across Beca’s shoulders and back instead. They were quiet for a while, as Chloe moved her hands purposely over the soft fabric of Beca’s shirt, loosening the muscles, watching the goosebumps rise up the exposed back of Beca’s neck.

“Thank you,” Beca said suddenly, a long while later, awakening Chloe from the daze both of them seemed to have fallen into, Chloe just as relaxed for touching Beca as Beca seemed to be, receiving it.

“I’m sure you’re welcome, but what for?”

“This. Today. Sometimes you just need alone time. So, uh, thanks.”

“Who am I then Becs?” Chloe teased, a smile working up the corners of her mouth. “An imaginary friend?”

Beca was quiet for a moment, floppy and pliable now under Chloe’s hands, given in entirely to the touch. “Well being with you doesn’t feel like being with other people. I mean, it’s not like having company. It’s different.”

Chloe couldn’t help it, compliments from Beca were always just too much for her to handle. She leaned forward to press a quick kiss to Beca’s left shoulder before resting her head there briefly.

“Yeah, I get it You ever think about…what that means, Bec?”

“N-no. Why. Do you?”

“I…I don’t know.” Chloe lied, heart thumping madly. She calmed it by lifting her head again, replacing her hands to resume the backrub, but before she could start Beca grabbed hold of one of them in her own warm hand and brought it up so quickly and briefly to her mouth that Chloe was barely aware of the soft kiss before it was over. Before she suddenly desperately wanted it to happen again.

Instead she placed her hands back on the goosebumped neck she wanted to touch earlier, listening to Beca’s relaxed sigh as she ran confident fingers up Beca’s neck and into her hair. Beca dropped her head forward, hand suddenly reaching out from her lap to grasp onto Chloe’s knee.

“Mmm,” Beca said, apparently involuntarily, about five minutes into Chloe’s hands running through her hair, massaging her scalp and pulling gently on the strands as she moved through the mess of curls in a looped, repeating pattern. She couldn’t stop, didn’t want to. Not when she could feel every time Beca shivered, or when she could see -and now hear- how utterly blissed out she was.

“Nice?” Chloe managed to say through the lump in her throat. She could hear Beca take a big, purposeful breath in.

“Everything you do is nice, Chlo.”

“Yeah?”

“Mmhmm.”

Chloe listened to her heart hammering in her chest one, two, three, four times.

“What about this?” She leant forward, pressing another kiss- this time to that patch of bare skin just above Beca’s collar.

“…Yeah,” Beca breathed after a pause, the hand not on Chloe’s knee reaching out blindly to grasp for one of Chloe’s, which she gives willingly, the other falling to rest against Beca’s shoulder. And Chloe leant in again, barely moving away after the kiss this time so that she knew Beca must have been able to feel her hot breath against her skin.

Pressed so close into Beca’s back now, Chloe could both hear and feel Beca’s sigh as she pushed her lips to goosepimpled flesh again, and then again.  

Suddenly the hand on Chloe’s knee was removed, and Chloe was briefly aware of the loss before it returned to her body, this time sending a spiral of shivers down her own spine. Because Beca’s arm had reached behind her, to hold gently on the back of Chloe’s head, twisting her fingers softly into Chloe’s red curls, and gently, ever so gently keeping Chloe from moving her kisses away. From stopping.

And that’s all she needed.

All she needed to carry on pressing kisses, from one side of the exposed neck to the other. Behind Beca’s ear. Her earlobes, on each side. The small patch of jaw she can reach. Then, lifting the resting hand to pull Beca’s shirt back a little, along Beca’s newly exposed shoulder, a little way down her back, before running in a line up from the far edge of the shoulder, back up to the jaw again. But when she reached it this time, when she got to the extreme point she could kiss on Beca’s face, Beca leant in, moving her face sideways, closer to Chloe.

Exposing a new line of jaw for Chloe to reach with her lips, and a new view. A view of the flittering of Beca’s eyelashes as she sighed and breathed. A view of the light flush over Beca’s cheeks. But it’s not enough, not quite. So she reached up that hand again- that one that just couldn’t help but keep starting things apparently, today, and gently, so so gently moved Beca’s face a little bit further, so that Chloe’s line of kisses reached the corner of Beca’s mouth. So that this time, when she leant out, then leant in again, she knew she was going to touch Beca’s lips. With her lips.

And she did.

It was met with a flurry of movement that made her heart stop, almost certain that Beca was freaking out, running away. But it was another surprise- a much better one. Because Beca turned quickly, frantically, as though she needed to do it this second before the courage left her, moving all her limbs in some formation Chloe hadn’t worked out yet until-

The courage had now placed Beca straddled across Chloe’s lap, somehow. And Chloe barely had a second to freak out with excitement before the lips that just touched so briefly and quietly and hesitantly touched again in a very different way.

Fully.

And not at all hesitantly.

And, pretty soon, not at all quietly either.

Chloe felt Beca’s hand grasping around her back, pulling her in closer. Felt the warm, soft, _insane_ feeling of Beca’s lips (Becas!) pressing into her own, over and over again. The solid warmth of that tongue, which yes actually, had already touched her today. Chloe had to supress a giggle, at that.

But this is better.

Oh yes, this is better.

So Chloe kissed back, assured and burning, one hand curled tenderly once more into Beca’s hair, the other gripping for dear life at Beca’s side. Clinging to dry land. Trying not to float away.

When Chloe had to finally pull them apart to catch up with several moments of deep breathing, she couldn’t break eye contact. Beca stared, deep into Chloe’s eyes, her own chest heaving too. Her lips pink and wet. A warm flush rising up her skin.

And Beca stared and stared until Chloe couldn’t take it any more, this gap between them (why? Why would there be a gap between them, anymore?) and rushed back to meet Beca’s lips again. The kiss this time was immediately joined by wandering hands, rushing over backs, up and down the bumps of spines, tickling over the backs of necks. Chloe ran her hands up the ridges of Beca’s ribs and down again, over and over, as Beca’s touch on her back pulled them in further and further to each other.

Chloe thought she might combust then, with Beca kissing her like that, holding her like that, the warm, solid weight of her in Chloe’s lap. She felt like she was burning up and her hands got bold with it, with these flames licking at her madly. So the hands running up Beca’s ribs didn’t stop, this time, instead chasing up the sides of Beca’s breasts, and Beca broke away from the consuming kiss to moan softly, pulling Chloe’s body closer to her own again. Chloe repeated the action, desperate to hear that sound again, and she was rewarded.

So she carried on, spurred on, mad and fiery. Her hands ran sideways this time, when they reach the top, lying over each of Beca’s breasts over her shirt, and pressing and squeezing and oh my God, how did they get here? How are they doing this? What is _happening_? And Beca moaned again, arching her whole body into Chloe’s and kissing her hard, kissing her until she really might pass out, because, hello, Beca’s breasts in her hands, and also- no breathing.

So she broke away, letting the hands fall gently to Beca’s sides again, and Beca leant back and looked at her, really, really looked.

“Um. Hi,” Beca said, when they’d regained enough breath for words, before grinning wildly.

“Hi.”

“So what the fuck just happened?” And Beca looked so adorably confused as she said it, and so thrilled, and relaxed, and like she has been truly, thoroughly kissed that Chloe could only laugh.

 

* * *

 

Later, when they’d got all their laughter out, and some more of the kissing, Beca turned to Chloe on the blanket, where they were lying side by side.

“Chlo, we should talk about this.”

“Nope.”

“No?” Beca furrowed her brow, looking concerned.

“We will. Just not today. No talking about anything serious today, remember?”

“Right. Okay.” Beca smiled at her. It was like she couldn’t stop smiling now that she’d started and Chloe’s own cheeks ached with it.

No, not today. Chloe could feel the anticipation and thrill of that talk bubbling within her, but not today. She wasn’t worried, just excited. Really, truly excited, and as she looked over at Beca, her glowing eyes, she thought she probably was pretty excited too.

But today was about relaxing. Today was about distracting. Today, apparently, was about kissing.

“Hey,” Beca said suddenly, catching Chloe’s attention away from her thoughts again. “You were right.”

“Mmm?”

“It is a good make out spot.”

 

* * *

 

“You feel chilled out now, Bec?” Chloe asked teasingly as they clambered back into the bus to return to the real world.

Beca looked at her with her cheekiest grin, hands ready on the steering wheel, too long sleeves falling over them slightly. “Fuck yes.”


	7. Jamie, Chloe, Sunshine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a short fic from the 'And Everyone Wins' universe. If you haven't yet read And Everyone Wins, I'd recommend doing that first.   
> It's also pretty light on the Beca (sorry). This is a Chloe & Jamie hangout.

“Jamie? Jamie? James?” Chloe calls as she heads from the living room, gathering a plate, a cup, a sock as she goes, poking her head into Jamie’s playroom as she passes.

“Helloo? Mr Mitchell? J-Pants?” She passes through the kitchen, stepping over an abandoned scooter and approaching the back door, which sits ajar.

“What you doing out here J?”

“Laying out,” he calls out, his sing-song voice carrying across the breeze. Chloe squints at him as she steps out of the back door into the bright sunlight. He’s lying prone in the middle of the scruffy lawn, one of the only patches of grass still hanging on, because really, who lays a lawn in Los Angeles?

Grabbing a pair of Beca’s sunglasses from where they’ve been abandoned on the table on the back porch, she descends the rickety steps. (“It’s a project Bec, that’s so exciting! We can do it up together! See how amazing this yard is! Look - there’s room to build you a studio over where the shed is!!”)

 

“Catching some rays, huh?”

“Rays? No. Just laying out. The grass feels nice. Cold and tickly.”

“Mind if I join you?”

“Mmm careful though. Baby sister is laying out too.” He pats the empty grass on his far side.

“She’s still hanging out with you?”

“Yep. ‘Til she comes round for real.” He squints at Chloe and grins. Little manipulative shit, Chloe thinks. She grins back.

“What if she turns out to be a brother instead? She could be either you know.” Chloe wriggles slightly, finding a more comfortable position on the hard ground.

“Mmm, I guess.” Jamie turns onto his side, one small hand pulling up strands of grass, placing them in a pile on Chloe’s hand. “What if he didn’t like me though? Tyler doesn’t like me. And Leo. Probably more too. They said my nail polish was weird.” He fiddles with the one nail that’s still painted blue.

“Do they still say mean things to you?”

“Noooo,” He pauses and neatly sweeps all the grass off Chloe’s hand. “But I really want them to _like_ me, Mom.”

“I know, sweetie. I know. But not everyone always gets along, no matter how hard you try. If they don’t like you, it’s their loss, okay? You don’t have to change because Tyler and Leo like different things to you, J.”

She reaches out, and brushes his hair back from his forehead. “I would have been your friend if we went to school together. I’d have thought you were the coolest, and you probably would have thought I was super lame.”

“Duh. You’re my mom. And a _teacher_.” He pulls the same face Beca does when she sees broccoli.

“I know it hurts Jamie. I get it. But as long as we’re nice to each other that’s…all you can really do, little guy. Sometimes people just aren’t friends. It took me a really long time to learn that, and I’m a grown up.”

“But exactly! What if I’m really, really, really nice to my little brother and let him share my room and stuff and he doesn’t like me still even then?”

“Why do you think a sister would be different?”

“I don’t know. All the girls at school like me. And you and Mom are girls.” He reaches up and takes the sunglasses off Chloe’s face and puts them on. He pushes them down his nose, then up again and scrunches up his face. “Why’s it make the sky more blue?”

“It’s the lenses – the glass part – they have colours in them.”

“Is that why they make the sun less shiny?”

“Sort of. I’m not really sure. You want me to look it up?”

“Okay.”

“Jamie, I promise your future brother or sister will adore you,” Chloe says as she types _How do sunglasses work_ into Google.

“But how do you know?!”

“Because you’re going to be the best big brother ever. It’s different than just having friends, I promise.”

Chloe doesn’t really know what to say to allay his fears any further and hates that he’s nervous. It’s what’s been keeping her and Beca up at night, talking in the dark about kindergarten and boys and their soft, gentle son, wishing they could wrap him up away from the realities of the world forever.

“Look, here. There’s a YouTube video about sunglasses, want to watch?”

“Mmhmm,” he says, immediately scrambling up. He’d recently discovered the delights of YouTube and it had become an immediate obsession. Why bother with books and television if you could watch a teenager from Michigan play drum covers of his favourite pop songs for hours on end, right? Every time Chloe ‘mislaid’ her phone she’d find it again somewhere near Jamie, with ‘cool sharks’ ‘what is orange’ or just, simply ‘drums’ mysteriously clogging up her search history. She shields the screen from the sun with her hand and they watch.

 

“See, now you’ll be able to tell your little brother or sister about sunglasses someday,” she says, hitting pause as the lady starts to talk about Audible subscriptions.

“AND about drums.”

“Well, of course. Mom and I can’t play drums, so you’ll have to teach them.”

“I guess that would be ok.”

Chloe hears the front door slamming distantly.

“Mom’s home!” Jamie scrambles, using her shoulder to push himself upright. “I have to show her the song we wrote earlier!”

 

The back of his legs are lined and seamed from the grass as he runs into the house and out of sight. Chloe lays back and closes her eyes. The sun is blissfully hot, and it feels like forever since she’s just laid out and enjoyed it on her face. Jamie’s full of good ideas.

She can hear the two of them chatting in the kitchen, Jamie carrying most of the conversation, his voice lilting and happy, and the faucet running as Beca pours a drink. She keeps her eyes closed and listens to their voices, to the soft rush of cars on the nearby road, and the wind in the overgrown bushes. She feels the tickly grass under her skin and waits for Beca to come join her.


End file.
